Teaching Relationships

Once the other three had left, Tsunade called Shizune back into her office. The young woman didn’t sit this time and just waited anxiously near the door.

“Shizune, you may come in a little late tomorrow. And I want you to bring Iruka with you. Also, go fetch Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru for me in the morning. I need the five of you here by 11. Do you understand?” she snapped.

“Yes, of course! I will make sure everyone is here,” Shizune replied quickly.

Then Tsunade rose and the two women left the office together. It was sort of an unstated rule that they had dinner together most nights of the week. The Hokage actually would have let Shizune out of it anytime that she had asked, but the young woman never did. The only times she actually left to meet Iruka were the nights Tsunade said she wouldn’t be able to go to dinner with her.

As the two women sat down in their favorite restaurant—in Shizune’s case for the food, and Tsunade for the alcohol—Tsunade spotted two more of her younger villagers. She intentionally chose a table near the two men, wanting to have something interesting to listen to while she ate. As soon as she and Shizune had ordered, she listened over her shoulder to the men.

“I am bored, that’s the problem,” the Hyuuga snapped.

He tossed his gorgeous long hair over his shoulder and glared into the eyes of the boy in front of him. Used to the cold stare, Lee barely noticed.

“But she seems willing to do whatever you ask her to, Neji. I mean, just the other day, she ran all the way back to your house to get your other set of clothes!” Lee insisted.

“That’s exactly the problem. She has never asked me for a single thing! I’m beginning to feel as if she’s my maid,” Neji murmured.

This sounds a little familiar, Tsunade thought to herself as she took her first sip of sake.

“I think she just needs some confidence. She’s forceful when fighting, but not in her everyday life. She barely tells any of us what she wants, but especially not you,” Lee said.

“Yes. I believe you’re right. And Sakura? How is she?” Neji asked.

“It’s strange. Even though we’ve been dating for almost a year now, I feel like I can’t get through to her. She seems afraid of getting close to me.”

“Well, from the few times I spent time with her, that sounds right. Even when I see the two of you together, she seems uncomfortable standing next to you. I doubt it’s much better when you are alone.”

At the next table, Shizune noticed Tsunade was grinning from ear to ear. Before the younger assistant could ask what was going on, Tsunade rose from the table and approached the two boys behind her. They looked up surprised as she leaned over the table, her large breasts threatening to spill out of her low-cut shirt.

“Hello Lee, Neji,” she said calmly.

“Hello, Fifth. How may we help you?” Neji asked formally.

“I need both of you to come by my office tomorrow morning at eleven. Will that be possible?”

“Yes ma’am! We will be there!” Lee said cheerfully.

Looking pleased, Tsunade returned to her table. She brushed off Shizune’s stare and just took a long gulp of her sake and imagined how the next day would go.


Everyone arrived as Tsunade planned. Anko, Kurenai, and Asuma arrived early as she had asked them to. She gave them directions and told them who their charges would be. The three looked skeptical, but also seemed to be eager to begin. Then, before anyone else could arrive, Tsunade decided to share her final piece of information with her teachers.

“I need an agreement from the three of you—an agreement that I myself will also make with all of you. First, we will never speak about this to anyone except for those that I tell you to. Is that understood?” she said.

“Yes!” the three replied quickly.

“The second part will possibly be more difficult for all of you. I would like you to agree to do anything you can to better the relationships we will be working on.”

“Of course,” Anko answered easily.

The most perceptive of the three, Kurenai hesitated. Then she asked, “What exactly will all this entail?”

“Ah, I was hoping you would ask. As I said, the problems are generally of the romantic nature. This also includes intimate problems.”

The three did not look terribly surprised, but they did all pause a moment to think it over. Then Kurenai spoke again, asking, “And how exactly will we be solving problems of intimacy?”

“Well, that is where I need you to agree to give your best efforts. It may vary among the couples, but I believe it is very possible they will need direction…possible even visual and physical examples, if you understand what I mean,” Tsunade said honestly.

“Are you asking us to sleep with these kids?” Asuma blurted out.

“Well, to be so blunt,” Tsunade said, scowling. “Yes. That is the direction that I was heading in. Of course, you will only do what you are comfortable with and only what you decide is best. For example, I don’t believe there should be any sex with any student who has not previously had sex. But, I do believe that in some of these cases, there are serious issues with intimacy that will need more direct attention. If any of you believe that these measures will not be possible for you, I’d like for you to say so now.”

While she waited for an answer, Tsunade leaned back in her large chair. Anko already looked bored, obviously not worried about the new terms of her mission. Kurenai and Asuma whispered to each other for a few moments before turning back toward the Fifth.

“If we have the ability to choose what is needed, then we are both willing to participate. But, we would like to make one request,” Kurenai said.

“Name it,” Tsunade replied calmly.

“You haven’t yet said how we will choose who gets to work with which couples. Asuma and I would like to participate in the choosing of our students.”

“Ah, I was going to mention that next. I actually would like all three of you to be involved in choosing who pairs up with what students. I intend to base it on what the couples’ issues are and who will be able to fix the problem most easily. For example, I believe that a few of the young women have serious issues letting a man take control or need to learn to take more control with their man. I was hoping that Asuma or Anko could work with women like that. So, assuming you all may participate in the choosing of students, will you all be willing to work on this assignment?” Tsunade asked.

“Yes,” all three teachers replied individually.

“Good, because we have some visitors who are about to arrive.”


Only fifteen minutes later, Tsunade was sitting alone at her desk when the group she requested was sent into the room. Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Lee, and Shikamaru all came in together and sat down in front of the desk. Shizune and Iruka joined them quickly and stood in the back of the room. Once they all were settled, Tsunade leaned back in her chair.

“I have requested everyone’s presence here to gather information for a special task force I am beginning. I would like for all of you to cooperate and answer any questions that are asked of you. This should be rather simple and will not take long. It will be like a simple interview where you will all be asked a series of questions and expected to reply quickly and honestly. Do you have any questions?” she said.

“We just have to answer questions?” Naruto whined, obviously hoping for something more interesting, like a new mission.

“I don’t want to hear any of your complaints Naruto, just do as you’re told. Perhaps I will have another mission for you after you finish.”

Naruto lit up immediately and pumped his arm in the air. Then he yelled, “Well, let’s get started then!”

Everyone else seemed ready as well, so Tsunade added, “You will all be met with individually. Professors Anko, Kurenai, and Asuma will all be aiding me in your interviews. Naruto, I would like for you to meet with Asuma. Sasuke, you will meet with Kurenai. Neji will stay with me. And Lee will meet with Anko. The rest of you will wait in the meeting room until we are finished. Then I would like for Iruka to meet with Asuma, Shikamaru to meet with Kurenai, and Shizune to meet with me. If there are no other questions, please go now. Kurenai,
Asuma, and Anko are all waiting in separate sections of the library.”

No one else said a word as they all filed out of the room leaving only Neji sitting in the center in front of Tsunade. The proud man didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of the Fifth. He continued to sit tall and each of his smallest movements was made with the greatest elegance.

“Shall we begin?” Tsunade asked.

“Yes,” Neji replied calmly.

“How long have you been dating TenTen?”

Although Neji was surprised by the direct question, he managed to keep his face stoic. He answered simply, “Two years.”

“And you intend to stay with her?”

“I wouldn’t still be with her if I didn’t,” Neji said firmly.

“Then I will get to the point. What is the largest problem in your relationship?”

Neji frowned. “Are these questions entirely necessary?” he asked carefully.

“Yes. Please answer the question.”

“I don’t know if there is only one problem.”

“If you are not going to be honest, then you are wasting my time. I will make this very simple. I overheard your conversation with Lee and your complaints about your girlfriend, so can we just skip trying to spare her feelings and get on with it?”

This time Neji could not entirely cover up his surprise. “Is eavesdropping really appropriate in your field?” Neji asked.

“I find that it is not only appropriate, but essential. It is necessary that I know all the details of my village as much as possible.”

“And why is my relationship of any importance to whatever task force you are making?”

“Actually, it is incredibly important. Now, since I am the superior here, I believe that I do not need to ask your permission to continue this interview, so I’d prefer that you just answer all of my remaining questions.”

“You’re right. What do you need to know?”

“Explain your difficulties with TenTen.”

Neji frowned again. “We get along quite well. I’m just disappointed in her lack of confidence and lack of ability to stand up for herself. I am very set in my ways, so she will only get what she needs if she asks for it. And she doesn’t,” he said.

“That is what I thought. And as far as intimacy, are you both sexually involved?”

For the first time since Tsunade met him, she saw Neji blush. The man seemed baffled for a moment before he quickly cleared his throat and calmed his expression.

“If this is entirely necessary, then yes, we are,” Neji said quietly.

“Then I only have one remaining question.”

“Yes?”

Tsunade leaned forward in her chair. “If your girlfriend could take a class to make her more assertive and more willing to tell you what she wants, would you want her to be a part of the class?” she asked.

After thinking for a moment, Neji replied simply, “Yes.”

“No matter what the class entailed?” Tsunade prompted.

Again Neji hesitated, but soon answered with another, “Yes.”

“Good. That is all. You can expect us to be in contact with you about this again. One or more of us will meet with TenTen, but we will not tell her about this conversation. I’d appreciate if you also kept it quiet. Do you understand?”

Neji nodded before rising quickly from his chair and leaving the room.


In the library, three similar conversations happened. Kurenai sat upstairs with Sasuke in a back corner near a window. Tsunade had obviously thought through which teachers would speak to which students, since her pairings were perfect. Sasuke remained silent for a long time at the beginning, but Kurenai was incredibly patient. She sat with her arms palms up on the table in front of her—a very open and friendly posture. And as she spoke, she emanated kindness and compassion. After a long one-sided conversation, Sasuke finally relaxed and became involved.

“You can stop trying to prompt me,” he said firmly. “I know what you’re trying to do. If it is important to you or the Fifth that I share details of my relationship, then I will tell them to you. I have nothing to hide or to be embarrassed about. Ino and I have been dating for almost two years now. Most of our relationship is healthy. I just do not like how she always worships me. She needs to learn to care as much about herself as she does about me. I don’t need a fan girl following me around. I want a girlfriend.”

Kurenai nodded and smiled easily. “Then you both have sex?” she asked bluntly, realizing that was the best way to deal with the Uchiha boy.

“Yes.”

“Then I have a proposal for you…”


Downstairs in an opposite corner of the library, Naruto and Asuma were sitting together. As soon as the older teacher had asked Naruto who he was dating, the young man had somehow launched off into an explanation of why he loved ramen. Finally, Asuma had to change the subject, not wanting to waste anymore time.

“Are you having sex with Hinata?” he interrupted to catch the boy’s attention.

His plan worked since Naruto immediately closed his mouth. His blue eyes widened and he became very tense. After a few shallow breaths he murmured, “What?”

“Are the two of you having sex?”

Naruto coughed nervously and then shook his head.

“Why not?” Asuma pressed.

“She’s uh…shy,” Naruto choked out.

“And you can’t just take control?”

“You don’t understand,” Naruto explained. “I had to practically beg to get her to take her shirt off. She’s one of the shyest people I’ve ever met. It took her most of her life to ever tell me that she liked me!”

Asuma nodded and then said, “But, you’d like to have sex with her?”

“Of course. And I think that if she actually relaxed, she’d admit that she wants to have sex with me too. She’s just too nervous all the time.”

“Then I have something that may help…”

And across the library, hidden in a back room, Lee was seated with Anko across from him. He had been hesitant at first, but Anko had frightened him into answering any of the questions that she asked. Then she quickly got to the topics she cared about.

“So, you finally got that pink-haired chick to let you get in her pants?” she asked bluntly.

“Her name is Sakura,” Lee corrected.

“But, you don’t deny that you’ve been in her pants?”

Lee blushed a dark shade of red before replying, “No. I mean, we’ve had sex.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“She doesn’t let me be close to her. I think she is afraid to be vulnerable with me. I can’t get her to open up.”

“I see. And would you change that if you could?”


When those four had been sent away, the remaining three were escorted to their areas for their interviews. Shizune sat down across from Tsunade, feeling nervous all over again.

“I want simple, honest answers this time Shizune. Don’t waste my time!” the older woman snapped at her assistant.

“Okay,” Shizune murmured.

“Since you barely spend any time with Iruka, I’m assuming that the two of you haven’t slept together. Is that true?”

“Uh…yes,” Shizune replied, blushing.

“But you’ve had sex in the past?”

Shizune nodded.

“And has he?”

“Yes, at least once.”

“Then what is your hesitation? Do you not like the idea of doing it with Iruka?”

Still blushing, Shizune whispered, “No, that’s not it. Iruka is great. I’m just not used to sex with someone so shy. I’m not very good at initiating physical contact, and apparently neither is he. It has just been…difficult.”

“And if I said that I could change that…if I could help Iruka be more assertive…would you be interested?”

“Of course…but, what exactly do you intend to do?”


Asuma had no trouble getting similar information from Iruka, who felt rather comfortable with the other male teacher. He quickly explained that he also wanted to have sex with Shizune, but had trouble initiating anything with her. And he seemed pleased to hear that Asuma might have a solution to his problem.

And finally, Kurenai was able to coax answers out of Shikamaru. He was not usually receptive to women, but this teacher made him feel very comfortable answering her. Before he really had much time to think about it, she had been able to make him admit that he wanted Temari to let him have control sometimes in their relationship, especially in their sex life.

Then once all the “students” had left again, Tsunade, Anko, Kurenai, and Asuma gathered in the Hokage’s office to discuss their future plans.

“What preferences do you all have toward the students?” Tsunade asked after everyone had explained the couples’ situations.

“If I may offer my opinion, I have a few suggestions. First, perhaps we should concentrate on only one or two couples and make sure that this idea even works. And I also think that we need to be more sensitive about some of the students. Some of them are obviously very shy or self-conscious, and we wouldn’t want to make that any worse,” Kurenai advised.

“Yes. I agree. I believe we should just begin by working with two couples. Who do you think we should deal with first?”

“Perhaps Iruka and Shizune?” Asuma offered.

“Why those two?”

“Well, I believe that they will be easier to work with, since they are both older. Also, it’s just a little sad that two full grown adults can’t manage to have sex.”

Everyone smirked and Tsunade nodded her head. “I agree. Besides, I’m getting sick of Shizune following me around every night. I believe they are a good place to start. Can you think of anyone else?”

“I think Ino would also be a good one to work with. She’s a lot more forward than most of the others and only needs to learn to respect herself. I think especially with Asuma’s help and perhaps Anko’s, she could easily gain the self respect she needs,” Kurenai said.

“Yes. I believe Iruka, Shizune, and Ino are the best place to begin. Now, who do you believe is best suited to work with them?”

“I still believe Asuma and Anko are best suited to work with Ino.”

“And not Iruka or Shizune?”

“Well, I thought you and I could handle those two. I think that since there will be so much talk of sex and intimacy, they will need to be comfortable. You know Shizune well, so you are good to work with both of them. And I believe Anko is too forceful and both Shizune and Iruka would be embarrassed by dealing with their situation with Asuma.”

“Of course, Kurenai is too humble to mention that she is probably the best one to work with our adult friends. She is in a similar relationship to what they are hoping to have, but she also has the ability to make people feel comfortable in any situation. And she’s rather skilled sexually, if I do say so myself,” Asuma said, grinning.

Kurenai elbowed the man beside her, but smiled anyway.

“Good then we have a plan. I will meet with Shizune as soon as possible. Kurenai, try to search out Iruka as soon as you can as well. And Asuma, I’d like you to meet with Ino first. I will send Sasuke out on a mission to keep him out of the way,” Tsunade said.